Camp Kitchen: Peanut Butter Pita, Gorp, and Chicken Sandwiches

Slap together some sandwiches, stuff your daypack with food and drink, and you’re good to go for hours of hiking, rock climbing, fishing or exploring away from your base camp. These recipes are tasty, compact, lightweight and nourishing, and will stay safe all day without refrigeration.
PEANUT BUTTER PITA-PATS
-1 orange spice tea bag
-1 cup boiling water
-Six 8-inch pita breads, white or whole wheat
-Creamy-style peanut, almond or soy butter
-2 crisp apples
-About 1/3 cup dried apricots, snipped into strips
-Cinnamon sugar in a shaker
Make an extra cup of boiling water at breakfast and brew a strong cup of orange spice tea. Put the apricots to soak in the hot tea and set aside. To prepare sandwiches, cut the pitas in half to make two, thin rounds. Spread cut sides with a thin, even layer of peanut butter. Cut apples into quarters, remove seeds and slice thinly. Dip each slice into the tea, shake off excess and arrange in a thin layer on half the peanut butter-covered pita halves. Drain the apricot strips well and arrange between the apple slices. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar. Top with the other peanut butter-covered pita half and press to flatten. Cut in halves or quarters and wrap. Makes six sandwiches. Pack a tangerine and a candy bar with each lunch.

NUTTY CHICKEN SANDWICHES
• 6 large, puffy rolls such as poppy
seed kaiser rolls
• Olive oil spray
• 10-ounce can chunk chicken
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup chopped sweet onion (e.g. Vidalia, Oso Sweet)
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• Small can sliced ripe olives,
well drained
• 1 tblspn vinegar or lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Dash of pepper, salt
Slice the rolls and remove some of the center dough to make room for filling. Reserve it for another use such as stirring it into your breakfast omelet. Spritz cut sides of the rolls very lightly with olive oil. Break up the chicken in a bowl and mix in the pecans, celery, onion and olives. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a paper cup and pour over the chicken mixture. Let stand a few minutes, mix well and use a draining spoon to divide the mixture among the sandwiches. An apple and some oatmeal cookies complete the menu.